Affordable, Paleo, Asian-Inspired Beef and Broccoli is a “paleotized” rendition of a quintessential Chinese take-out dish you used to rely on for a quick meal but healthier and cheaper! Check the recipe below.
I can’t count how many times I’ve eaten Beef with Broccoli in my life. For some reason, this seems to be the most popular dish on the Chinese Take-Out Menu in America. I don’t think Chinese people eat this dish as often as Americans do. But since broccoli is America’s favorite vegetable, it makes sense that this dish is so popular.
I mean, when you think about it, this dish is frequently mentioned in movie scenes and T.V. sitcoms. It epitomizes a happy gathering over a quick meal that results in satisfied, full-bellied people after devouring the carton over piping hot white rice. You get me, right?
Having said though, eating out or ordering take-out Chinese food often can get costly. In my neighborhood, an order of “Beef with Broccoli” (certainly not grass-fed meat) costs $10 for lunch and $18 for dinner. And it is not so healthy since it usually has ‘unknown’ ingredients that I rather not know about. So when I saw this recipe in a new cookbook, I had to try it!
Affordable Paleo Cooking with your Instant Pot®
My friend, Jennifer Robins, bestselling author of Paleo Cooking with your Instant Pot®, wrote another cookbook – her 5th!!! – called Affordable Paleo Cooking with your Instant Pot®.
I’ve shared her Italian Wedding Soup recipe from Paleo Cooking with your Instant Pot® and Paleo Pecan Waffles recipe from Down South Paleo and as you can tell, I love her work. But what’s unique about her newest cookbook is that it’s full of grain-free, dairy-free, nut-free, and many are egg-free recipes (perfect for my kids) that use inexpensive ingredients (perfect for my wallet!)
And this all-time Chinese take-out favorite, Asian-Inspired Beef-Broccoli recipe is no exception! With Jen’s permission, I’m sharing it here with you and I have to say it’s one of my favorite recipes in the book. And coming from ‘this’ Asian, you know that’s saying something. Of course, she has so many other classics too, including, Chicken Adobo, Crust-less Chicken Pot Pie, Egg Roll Meatballs, Mexi Meatloaf, Quick Barbacoa with a Kick and soups and desserts!
To stay true to the title of the book, I compared the cost of this recipe with a take-out. I bought 2 lbs. of grass-fed flank steak at $15.99/ lb. and 1 lb of organic broccoli at $1.59/lb to make this recipe for 4 servings. The total amount, without the spices I already had, cost me about $35 for 4 servings. And we had leftovers for two more meals so we ended up with $6 per serving! How cheap is that? And the meat was grass-fed, which is more expensive and healthier than the take-out version you get from the restaurant! You can’t go wrong with this recipe. 
So make this easy, quick and affordable recipe today! I bet this will become your family’s favorite Chinese meal without calling for a delivery!
Affordable Paleo Asian-Inspired Beef and Broccoli
Asian-Inspired Beef and Broccoli
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp olive or avocado oil
- 1 medium onion, diced or sliced
- 2 tbsp minced garlic
- 1.5 lb flank steak, cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1/3 cup beef broth
- 2/3 cup coconut aminos
- 20 oz broccoli florets (I used stems too)
Instructions
- Press the Sauté button and drizzle in your two cooking oils. Then add in the onion and allow it to soften for about 4 minutes. Add in the garlic and flank steak pieces and continue to sauté until the flank steak is browned on all sides, about 4 minutes.
- Add in the remaining seasonings, broth, and coconut aminos, stirring to combine.
- Lower in your steamer basket and place the broccoli into it. Press the Keep Warm/Cancel button, secure the lid and close the pressure valve.
- Press the Pressure Cook/Manual button and then use the +/- button to adjust until 4 minutes is displayed. This will yield broccoli on the tender side. If you prefer more al dente broccoli, you'll want to adjust this by sauteeing the beef longer and then pressure cooking for less time.
- Once the cooking cycle is complete, release the pressure valve and remove the lid once safe to do so. If you want to thicken the sauce, simply remove the beef and broccoli with a slotted spoon, set them aside and then press the Keep Warm/Cancel button before pressing the Sauté button once more. Allow the sauce to simmer on the Sauté feature until the desired thickness is met, about 10 minutes or less.
- Spoon the sauce over the finished beef and broccoli when it's plated.
Notes
- Everyone is different when using the Instant Pot so you could adjust how you cook the broccoli. I didn't use the steamer (why create more dishes?) and just placed the broccoli on top of the meat. Then, used only 2 minutes under High Pressure because my family doesn't like tender broccoli. But you could cook them as per direction if you like them tender.
- I also added some sliced ginger because we love ginger. And sliced the onion instead of dicing them. But you could do whatever you want since all the flavors will be infused perfectly.
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